Data brokers are in all education sectors and sweep up enormous amounts of student data to compile profiles, detailing everything. These developed profiles are then used to target students with personalized marketing messages, bridging the goal of what influences school choice. This rapid increase in data brokers entering the area of education stirs debate on the extent to which the existing provisions suitably address issues related to the privacy of student personal data and safety and the risk of discrimination.

It harvests student data from school records, online learning platforms, and even social media. This ranges from sensitive information regarding a student’s academic performance to those of attendance records and personal interests. Data brokers subsequently use this information to build an in-depth profile of the students for sale to educational institutions, companies, and organizations.

For quite several years, data brokers have been used in education. A report by the National Association of State Boards of Education indicates that in 2019, 79% of schools reported using data brokers to collect and analyze student data. Such policies were implemented by a tiny minority of schools, leaving student data wide open for possible misuse.

Student Data and Marketing

One area where data brokers apply student data is targeted marketing towards school choice. That includes personalized emails, messages, social media, and even direct mail to students and visit Medium their families. These campaigns aim to encourage students to enrol in a particular school or program. This usually emphasizes what sets it apart or makes it better than the rest.

However, mining student data for marketing recently exposed the potential manipulation and exploitation of its usage. Critics say it is students’ personal data that data brokers are using to create such convincing marketing pitches, probably against the best interest of the students. This may lead to an uneven playing field through target marketing campaigns where students from more affluent families have more access to information and resources.

Moreover, student data may be used in marketing and other purposes that raise issues related to possible discrimination. In this case, data brokers may use student data to target specific groups of students, either those from low economic backgrounds or those who are disabled. Except for not bringing diversity, and the institutions are not inclusive, it is an avenue that leads to other social and economic inequalities.

School Choice and Data Brokers

Data brokers have already developed an increasingly influential role in school choice. Having detailed profiles of students, data brokers can help schools target high-achieving students, therefore creating a competitive admissions process. The schools are filled with competition over who can pick the best student. Conversely, the complex, sometimes confusing landscape is being propelled for students.

Data brokers also raise concerns regarding bias and discrimination in school choice. Algorithms of data brokers could perpetuate the current biases, leading to a need for more diversity and inclusivity within institutions. Moreover, reliance on data brokers creates competition and exclusivity among the schools to repeatedly take up highly gold-achieving students at the cost of others who need additional support.

Need for Regulation and Transparency

Data brokers in education have been called to regulate and be more transparent so student data is highly protected and used correctly. This would involve cooperation from educational institutes at all levels, policymakers, and parents.

This includes the development of policies and procedures that ensure the protection of student data through encryption and secure storage. Similarly, institutions are to be more open about how they use data brokers and precisely in what ways the student data are gathered and used.

It’s time, finally, for policymakers to begin regulating the use of data brokers in education. This must go hand-in-hand with legislation designed to protect student data and ensure that data brokers are held responsible for their actions.

It raises critical questions about the balance between personalization and privacy and bias and potential discrimination through using data brokers in education. We must be cooperative, ensure that student data is used responsibly and ethically, and achieve equal and quality educational opportunities for all students.